**Cassius**
I could still hear the clapping.
Days after the wedding, it wouldn't go away. Hands clapping, people cheering, my name said with pride. The cathedral had been bright with light, red and gold banners everywhere, the choir singing. The Empire called me its perfect son, married to Aldrik Von Draven with the gods blessing us.
It should have been enough. Should have made me happy.
Instead, when I closed my eyes, I just felt empty.
Avaly loved me. Nobles stopped me on the streets, grabbing my sleeve with their jeweled hands, pouring out praise. At every party, I was the main attraction, the heir of House Eberhart, perfect in my fancy clothes, the omega who'd secured the Empire's future. They bowed, toasted me, and compared me to old heroes.
But nobody asked if I was happy.
I'd been raised to shine, and I did. But nobody could see the cracks underneath.
Life in the capital was like being in a play, and I was stuck as the lead. I performed every day, smiling, making small talk, moving gracefully even when I was tired. My servants made sure my clothes were perfect, my hair done up with gold, my scent just right.
Aldrik played his part too. Next to me, he looked perfect, handsome, strong, impressive. Together we looked like something out of a painting. The Empire's golden couple.
But when everyone went home and the lights dimmed, it all fell apart.
Behind closed doors, Aldrik turned cold. He was always polite, never mean, but distant in a way that hurt worse than being cruel. His words were careful, his touches quick and light. I'd try reaching for him in quiet moments, starting conversations, touching his hand, hoping for the closeness I'd dreamed marriage would bring. Every time, he'd slip away with some excuse.
Our bed was huge, but it felt like there was a wall down the middle.
At first I told myself to be patient. Aldrik was serious, maybe just careful. Love could grow. But every week the distance got worse. His eyes would wander - not looking at other people, but like his mind was somewhere else entirely. He got lots of letters and went to lots of meetings, but I never knew what any of it was about.
When I asked, his answers were always short. "House business." Or "state matters."
And me, trained since birth to put duty first, would nod and smile even though doubt was eating me up inside.
I started hearing whispers soon enough.
At a party thrown by some marquess, people were talking freely around their wine glasses. I moved through the crowd, smiling like always, but I listened when I heard Aldrik's name.
"...always at the chancery till late..."
"...burns his letters after reading..."
"...even at the wedding, did you see how distracted he was..."
The second they noticed me nearby, everyone shut up. Eyes went wide, mouths snapped closed, and they all started bowing and praising my dress, my hair, my marriage. But I'd already heard enough.
That night, lying in our cold bed, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the whispers, the looks people gave each other, how distracted Aldrik had seemed even at our own wedding altar. We looked perfect from the outside, but what if it was all fake?
Had I married someone who was already hiding things from me?
My chest got tight with anger, but fear cut through it sharper. Not fear for me, fear for my family. This marriage was supposed to make House Eberhart stronger, keep the Empire stable. But what if it all collapsed? What if I, the golden son everyone counted on, screwed it up?
I couldn't let that happen.
In the quiet nights, I kept thinking about Cadiz.
My twin had always been my shadow - the quiet one, the forgotten one. When we were kids, he'd trail behind me, never getting the same praise, ignored by all the courtiers who only cared about me. Father always had his hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward, while Cadiz hung back in corners.
I felt sorry for him back then, though I never said so.
But now I wondered if he was the lucky one.
Cadiz was far away in Ravenshollow. No parties, no staring crowds, no endless performing. Father might call him a disappointment and the court might gossip about his problems, but at least he wasn't trapped like I was.
I pressed my hand against the cold wall, looking out at the city below. Avaly sparkled like jewelry, but I was starting to see it was really a cage.
If Cadiz was forgotten, maybe being forgotten meant freedom.
But I felt bitter about it too. Why should he get to hide in the shadows while I had to carry everything? Why did the useless son get peace while the perfect one get suffocated?
The thought made me angry, and I hated myself for thinking it. Cadiz never asked for Father's disappointment or to be ignored. We were both trapped, him in shadow, me in too much light.
Aldrik came home late that night. I sat by the window waiting, city lights making everything look pale.
"You're up," he said. His voice was flat.
I looked at his face, searching for any warmth. "You've been gone every night this week."
"Chancery business," he said. Same answer as always. He put his gloves down, his face showing nothing.
I stood up and walked closer. "I'm your husband. Shouldn't I know what's going on? Don't you trust me?"
Something flickered in his eyes for just a second. "It's not about trust. It's protection."
The words hit me hard. Protection. Like I was too fragile to handle whatever was keeping him up at night.
I stepped back, heart hammering. "Then I'm not really your partner at all."
He didn't answer.
Silence stretched between us.
Later, after he'd gone to bed, I sat at my desk and pulled out paper. I wanted to write to Cadiz, to somehow reach across the gap Father had created between us. But what could I say? That the golden son envied the forgotten one? That my perfect marriage felt like chains?
I couldn't find the words.
I folded the empty paper and sealed it anyway.
I blew out the candle and lay awake till morning, staring at the ceiling while the city bells rang outside.
Everyone thought I was perfect. But inside this
golden prison I called marriage, I knew better. Perfect was just another word for being trapped.